Brand Experience Specialist

The YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago is dedicated to creating long-lasting positive change, whether it's through health and wellbeing, early education, violence prevention, or one of our other programs and services. We're looking for talented individuals who are committed to empowering our community by creating a safe and welcoming environment that encourages growth and support - individuals like you!

The Brand Experience Specialist will assist in the Association's special events, partnership activations, and experiential activities, including volunteer engagement. You will collaborate with stakeholders across the Association to help create exceptional experiences for internal and external constituents, with a focus on delivering concierge-level service and driving meaningful engagements. The Brand Experience Specialist will help play a critical role in to elevate the Y's brand throughout Chicagoland and
the Midwest, where the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago operates.

The salary for this position is: $55,000-$64,000 annually

Our staff is the Y's greatest asset. Our teams provide valuable skills, knowledge, and the passion that is essential to the contribution and positive impact in our communities, which is why we offer Y employees numerous perks and benefits, including:

• Comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees
• Opportunity for eligible employees to participate in the Y's retirement fund
• Be part of a team that is passionate about building and sustaining an inclusive and equitable environment for all staff, volunteers, and members
• Do meaningful work and contribute to the advancement of the YMCA vision by meeting the needs of the people in our communities
• Complimentary Adult YMCA membership and an employee discount on select programs
• Career advancement opportunities - grow your career at the Y!

Scopes and Responsibilities:

• Assist with the planning, coordination, and reporting for special events across all Y locations, including but not limited to the Annual Recognition Dinner, Healthy Kids Day, Back-to-School events, golf outings, staff events, and other enterprise-wide special events
• Work closely with Brand Experience Manager on the coordination and successful execution of corporate partnership activations like community events and volunteer engagements (i.e. Wilson Chi-League, Peloton Day Camp, DePaul Athletics, Chicago Wolves activations, etc.), in support of sustainable and meaningful partnership relationships and social impact realization
• Oversee logistics and track needs for brand awareness activities and community engagement initiatives, including but not limited to the Downtown Downers Grove Market, tabling events, Bud Billiken and Pride parades, wellness fairs/symposiums, and more
• Assist the Brand Experience Manager to coordinate the production and execution of events and activations, including but not limited to tracking project timeline and logistics, managing vendors and venues, staff workflow and operations, securing event supplies and decor, safety and security protocols, and problem solving any issues that may arise
• Review and adhere to event budgets, negotiate with vendors to drive cost efficiency, and follow
  financial guidelines
• Help to ensure seamless coordination and effective communication throughout the event planning and execution process, including the development of marketing and communications materials
• Collaborate with stakeholder groups and appropriate internal teams to ensure successful execution that meets business objectives
• Assist in the implementation of group volunteer activities, coordinating with internal teams and Community Hubs and preparing project needs for various volunteer groups
• Ensure event production meets the highest possible quality standards and results in optimum experiences for attendees
• Serve, as needed, on-site as the YMCA liaison for special events, activations, and group volunteer projects and represent the Y on-site at Community Hubs for project execution
• Foster strong relationships with partners, customers, vendors, and key stakeholders to understand their requirements and exceed their expectations
  

Minimum and Required Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in event management, hospitality, marketing, or equivalent
• Minimum of 2-4 years of related work experience managing planning efforts for events and/or field marketing and brand activation experience
• Expertise with special events, including budget tracking and vendor coordination
• Strong organization and project management abilities, with the ability to assist with multiple events simultaneously
• Exceptional customer service and professional communication skills with a focus on providing concierge-level service
• High attention to detail with strong ability to take ideas and turn them into actionable plans and deliverables
• Work with minimal direct supervision and manage multiple events and projects, while being a committed team player and who can support other members of the team
• Effective communicator across all forms and levels
• Excellent judgement, decision-making, and problem solving skills
• Flexible to work evenings, weekends, and travel as required for events and meetings both in the city of Chicago and the suburbs

Child Abuse Prevention - Support the YMCA's commitment to child abuse prevention by:

• Reporting any items that may provide a health or safety hazard to staff, members or guests to your supervisor
• Following all policies and procedures related to keeping children safe in our facilities and programs, including those related to the monitoring and supervision of children
• Reporting any suspicious behavior and violation of policy and procedures to your supervisor
• Completing all child abuse prevention training, as required